Pumpkin, sleep, and almond butter

Good Morning! or should I say good close-to-afternoon? I have not been sleeping well recently and every morning I feel like I have a harder and harder time getting out of bed.

Yesterday I set a goal for myself, get to bed before midnight and wake up by 8am. I got to bed around 11:45 but for whatever reason woke up at 4:30 am and started tossing and turning. I felt like total poo when my alarm went off and ended up staying in bed until almost 10. I think that diet dr. pepper I had at dinner might have had something to do with it. I’m thinking I need to add no caffeine after 2pm to my goal.

When I’m sleeping well (8-9 hours a night for me – I like sleep!) I feel better, I eat better, I workout better, I get sick less, really the list just goes on and on. With all the stuff that is going on or possibly about to start going on, I think that its really important for me to work on getting into a good and regular sleep schedule.

This morning’s breakfast was simply awesome. I feel awful not giving credit where it is due, but I cannot for the life of me remember where I saw this recipe idea.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Oats

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup each water and almond breeze

1 egg white

1/3 cup pumpkin pie mix

1 tsp instant coffee

1 tsp chia seeds

2 tsp almond butter

I grabbed the pumpkin pie mix at the store because I have been craving pumpkin lately and I just can’t find straight up pumpkin this time of year. Really the only difference is that it is sweetened and had added spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It made my oats taste like dessert! And even though it might not have been the healthiest option I think it was a healthier alternative (and cheaper) to getting a real pumpkin spice latte, which I had been craving like crazy before having this breakfast.

PS. Today was my first day ever trying almond butter. I’ve never bought it before because of the price (usually $8-10 compared to my $2 jar of peanut butter) but yesterday I found some for a little over $5 and decided to try it. Verdict: its a lot like my feelings on cashew butter, I love the taste but I much prefer the texture of peanut putter.

Now I just have to make sure I start working on my to-do list for the day instead of joining Sami (the kitty) for a nap….

How much do you sleep at night? Do you believe in naps? I know some people that are ok with just 6 or 7 hours, I wish I was like that! I’m an 8-9 hour kind of gal.